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Five 2023 five-stars who need to step it up
With the news that Johntay Cook has left Texas, Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney looks back on five five-stars from the 2023 class who need to get going to back up their lofty ranking.
Some five-stars in that class are already thriving, some are waiting in the wings and are showing potential but these five have to get kick-started to end up as first-rounders:
There was maybe no prettier prospect in the 2023 class than Keeley, a statuesque looking defensive end who was on the leaner side but all of 6-foot-5 who looked and played phenomenally well at the All-American Bowl.
After that event, we moved Keeley to No. 5 overall in the Rivals250 and to the second-best defensive player behind only Texas A&M signee David Hicks Jr., who was incredibly physical and tough at the Under Armour Game.
But Keeley has yet to break through at Alabama – partly because they moved his position and loaded him up with weight as he’s now listed at 277 pounds and because of some elite playmakers ahead of him like LT Overton and then Jah-Marien Lathan and Jordan Renaud have been showing out there as well.
There is a lot of competition at Keeley’s spot – but that’s the case across the board at a place like Alabama.
We went back and forth and debated for a long time about who should be the No. 1 receiver in the 2023 Rivals250 and we settled on Inniss since he was so reliable, caught everything and got open against everybody even if he didn’t show elite speed like Zachariah Branch or have the length and ranginess of Carnell Tate.
So far, Inniss has not made a massive impact with the Buckeyes but if he stays the course and waits for Emeka Egbuka’s departure to the NFL there’s a good chance he could be next up in a long line of elite receivers in Columbus.
Through eight games, Inniss has only 10 catches (as many as running back Quinshon Judkins) for 125 yards and a touchdown. He’s also being used on special teams so Ohio State’s coaches are trying to get him on the field but with Egbuka, star freshman Jeremiah Smith and Tate leading the Buckeyes’ receivers there aren’t enough balls to go around for Inniss – yet.
The five-star rating of M’Pemba was more about projection than anything since he is a big, muscled-up linebacker who can play in the middle, play in space or come off the edge but there was always a feeling that the Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout still had to put it all together to be elite, to be a first rounder.
There is obviously a logjam in Georgia’s defense and he has only played a little more than a dozen snaps all season mainly in garbage time. There is a positive here though as coach Kirby Smart was recently asked about M’Pemba and he said he’s coming along but that he had the longest way to go at his position.
There is talent there. Georgia knows how to develop better than anybody. So M’Pemba could be a late bloomer but when he does come of age, the former five-star has elite physical traits to put on the field.
Early on, there was a debate about whether Nico Iamaleava or Nelson was the better California quarterback in the 2023 class but that worked itself out over time as Iamaleava just had traits that no one else in the country had and he ended up ranked second in the Rivals250 behind Arch Manning.
Iamaleava is now Tennessee’s starting quarterback. Nelson has transferred from USC to Boise State and didn’t win the starting job with the Broncos, either. That is concerning as redshirt sophomore Maddux Madsen earned the starting role and he probably won’t leave Boise early so Nelson has to win that job this offseason, wait behind Madsen or now look for a third school.
When the game is in rhythm and things are going smoothly, Nelson throws one of the best balls you’ll ever see. But when the pocket collapses or Nelson has to improvise then things do break down a little bit. He committed to Oklahoma to play for Lincoln Riley and when Riley left for USC, Nelson flipped to the Trojans.
He sat behind Caleb Williams for one year and when it became clear Miller Moss would be the starter, Nelson left for Boise State but that hasn’t gone as planned yet, either.
There is no questioning McClain’s on-field ability, his athleticism, his ranginess, his speed or much of anything when it comes to his play as a cornerback. Where there were always concerns was about McClain’s maturity and that manifested itself at Colorado and could be the only thing that holds back the former five-star from greatness.
At the Under Armour Game, McClain refused to answer any questions about his recruitment. Then at Colorado there were issues even though there might not be a single coach in the country who could teach the cornerback position better than Deion Sanders.
McClain has now landed back at Florida where he had an awesome pick-six against Kentucky earlier this season but has not contributed much else yet. If the five-star corner can get settled, get focused and the coaches can trust him on an island by himself, McClain has elite abilities that he can show out there.
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